Florence Brunelle

Milestones

At age 18 years and 47 days she became the youngest athlete to compete for Canada in short track at the Olympic Winter Games when she took part in the mixed 2000m relay event at the 2022 Games in Beijing. (SportsDeskOnline, 08 Nov 2022) She became the first short track skater representing Canada to win a medal at the Winter Youth Olympic Games when she claimed bronze in the 1000m at the 2020 Games in Lausanne, Switzerland. She and Felix Pigeon had become the first short track athletes to represent Canada at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne. (SportsDeskOnline, 02 Nov 2021)

Name of coach

Sebastien Cros [national], FRA

Sporting philosophy / motto

"Ever since I was very young, sport has always played a very important role in my life. My parents always encouraged me to do physical activities. Sport allows me to feel good in my body and spirit, and allows me to achieve something on a daily basis." (quebecormedia.com, 29 Apr 2021)

www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011964960245

Hobbies	Playing the ukulele, football. (quebecormedia.com, 29 Apr 2021)
Injuries	She sustained a back injury in February 2024 and had to miss the 2024 World Cup event in Dresden, Germany. (Instagram profile, 14 Feb 2024; lenouvelliste.ca, 09 Feb 2024) In early 2019 she recovered from a knee operation. (lenouvelliste.ca, 17 Jan 2020)
Famous relatives	Her father Jean-Francois Brunelle played ice hockey for the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivieres in Canada. (lenouvelliste.ca, 13 Feb 2022)

Reason for choosing this sport

At a young age she was involved in a variety of sports including basketball, athletics, football, and skating. At age 13 she left the family home in Trois-Rivieres, QC, Canada, for Montreal after she was selected to join the National High Performance Centre [CNHP] for football. However, after a year she left the programme to return to skating. "It was hard at first but gradually I am gaining in maturity and have adapted well. I was ready to make the sacrifice to do the sport that I love and see where it takes me."

Hero / Idol

Canadian short track skater Charles Hamelin. (quebecormedia.com, 29 Apr 2021)

When and where did you begin this sport?

Her father introduced her to the sport at age seven.

Other information

OLYMPIC SETBACK She crashed while competing in the mixed relay at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, which meant Canada missed out on a medal in the event. "I did not perform well, was disqualified and we lost a medal. How did I feel about that? I didn't have the answers. It took me several months before I could understand how I was feeling and to be at peace with that. I had to step aside because I was questioning everything. I didn't know my feelings towards skating. It was as if I didn't have any confidence anymore. Some psychology really helped me. It helped me to understand that I had experienced a sort of trauma but that it was a normal thing. I understood that I would be experiencing anxiety when I was exposed to certain situations. I started to become more mature and understand that it is the life of a high performance athlete. I used to go with the flow before a competition. Now I know how to prepare myself and what to do in the weeks and months before a competition so I can be 100% sure of being ready." (ici.radio-canada.ca, 28 Sep 2023) CHOOSING SHORT TRACK She initially planned to pursue football at elite level after she was selected to join the Canadian National High Performance Centre. "I left my family home in Trois-Rivieres for this experience, and I started playing football every day in a joint high school sport-studies programme. Because of this, I had a lot less time for speed skating. But after one year, I realised that I missed speed skating a lot, so I quit football and concentrated on speed skating. After a knee operation, I joined the regional training hub." (quebecormedia.com, 29 Apr 2021) PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT She was born with fingers missing on her left hand. She is active with The War Amps, a Canadian non-profit organisation for service people with amputations. When she competes in relay events, she wears a slightly modified glove to assist her when pushing off her teammates. "I was born with only two fingers on my left hand. This has always been a part of my life and has influenced the person I have become, my character traits and personality. When I was younger, I was intimidated by my handicap and wanted to be like everyone else. Everybody has something to overcome, whether it's an eating disorder, or some other physical or mental difficulty. For me it was my hand. Gradually, as I grew older, I have learned to love myself for who I am and to be proud of it. In a relay, when I have to hold on and push off my teammate, sometimes my hand slips because the surface area of my hand is smaller so there is less grip. So, we place a special material on my glove for better adherence. This is the only time that my hand becomes a topic of conversation in my sport." (ici.radio-canada.ca, 06 Feb 2022; ledevoir.com, 02 Feb 2022; quebecormedia.com, 29 Apr 2021)